Alternanthera sessilis is a weed that inhabits many areas of the world. It occupies moist areas and can be found from sea level to over 2000m. Alternanthera sessilis is a pest of sugarcane, a weed of rice in tropical areas, and an agricultural weed that invades disturbed wet areas in tropical and subtropical regions. It has been used widely around the world for its medicinal uses, as well as for food. The plant has been readily used for food partly due to its abundance.

Alternanthera sessilis has stems that lie flat and are 1-10 dm long. The leaves are sometimes spear-shaped but mostly elliptic and are 0.3-3cm wide. The petioles are 1-5mm long. The bract are shiny white under the flower's sessile spikes. The sepals are 2.5-3mm long and the uticles are 2-2.3mm long (PIER, 2006; Marquesas, undated). A. sessilis has a somewhat glistening fruit, that is light-beige yellow (FNWD, 2004). It can reach heights of up to 1 m.

Lifecycle Stages

During August-October, Alternanthera sessilis produces many utricles that spread with wind and water. Not far from where these were blown, seedlings begin to appear in April (Geng, 2006).

Uses

Alternanthera sessilis is used as a topical treatment for the common skin problem cane vulgaris. The antioxidant carotene is found in large amounts in the plant (Jerajoni et al. 2004). In southeast Asia young shoots and leaves are ingested as vegetables. In folklore, A. sessilis was used for treating sick individuals (USDA, 2004). Gayathri et al (2006) state that A. sessilis is \"used for the treatment of biliousness, dyspepsia associated with sluggish liver, chronic congestion of liver, acute and chronic pyelitis, cystitis, gonorrhea, and strangery and snake bite in Sri Lanka.\" In India and Sri Lanka, it is used for treatment of gastrointestinal problems. A. sessilis is used as a treatment for headaches and vertigo in Nigeria. It is also used to treat hepatitis, bronchitis, and asthma in Taiwan (Jansen, 2004).

A. sessilis is a plant that is puchased for a water garden and over the internet for aquariums (Tomaino, 2006). Also, it is bought for its low cost and taste by the people of Sri Lanka (Gayathri, 2006). A. sessilis is chopped up when it is fed to ducks and is also fed to pigs (Ogle, 2003). It is used in many different foods in Africa, such as soups, relish, and sauces.

Habitat Description

Alternanthera sessilis is \"a plant of damp places, ditches, wet headlands, roadsides, sometimes a weed of plantations\", and is located from sea level to elevations over 2000 m. It is also found in waste areas, gardens (PIER, 2006) and open fields (NSCRC, 2003).

Reproduction

Alternanthera sessilis transfers seeds by wind, water, and also rooting at the stem nodes (FNWD, 2004).

Pathway

Alternanthera sessilis can be dispersed through horicultural activities (Maki and Galatowitsch, 2004)

Alternanthera sessilis is a pest of sugarcane (Macdonald et al. 2003). It is also a weed of rice in tropical areas, and is also associated with bananas and other cereal crops (FNWD, 2004). According to Tomaino (2006), A. sessilis is an \"agricultural weed that invades disturbed wet areas in tropical and subtropical areas of the U.S.\" Overall, A. sessilis has a \"low significant ecological impact\" (Tomaino, 2006).A. sessilis is said to have impacts on liver problems by having hepatoprotective effects (Lin et al. 1994).

Management Info

Biological: Zettler and Freeman (1972) in their discussion on the biocontrol of aquatic plants, state that in India, Alternanthera sessilis a near relative of alligatorweed, is affected by the fungial species Corticium solani, Colletotrichum capsici, Glomerella cingulata, Phoma spp., and Albugo bliti.

Informations on Alternanthera sessilis has been recorded for the following locations. Click on the name for additional informations.

Lorem Ipsum

Location

Status

Invasiveness

Occurrence

Source

Details of Alternanthera sessilis in information

Status

Invasiveness

Arrival date

Occurrence

Source

Introduction

Species notes for this location

Location note

Management notes for this location

Method:

Source:

Start date:

End date:

Impact

Mechanism:

Outcome:

Ecosystem services:

Impact information

Alternanthera sessilis is a pest of sugarcane (Macdonald et al. 2003). It is also a weed of rice in tropical areas, and is also associated with bananas and other cereal crops (FNWD, 2004). According to Tomaino (2006), A. sessilis is an \"agricultural weed that invades disturbed wet areas in tropical and subtropical areas of the U.S.\" Overall, A. sessilis has a \"low significant ecological impact\" (Tomaino, 2006).A. sessilis is said to have impacts on liver problems by having hepatoprotective effects (Lin et al. 1994).

Red List assessed species 0:

Management information

Biological: Zettler and Freeman (1972) in their discussion on the biocontrol of aquatic plants, state that in India, Alternanthera sessilis a near relative of alligatorweed, is affected by the fungial species Corticium solani, Colletotrichum capsici, Glomerella cingulata, Phoma spp., and Albugo bliti.

Sainty, G. McCorckelle, M. Julien. 1998. Contol and spread of Alligator Weed Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. , in Australia: lessons for other regions. Wetlands Ecology and Management. 5: 195-201.Summary: This article discusses different ways in which to control the Alligator Weed using herbicides and manual control.

Chandrika, U.G., U. Svanberg, E. Janz. 2005. In vitro accessibility of -carotene from cooked Sri Lankan green leafy vegetables and their estimated contribution to vitamin A requirement. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 86(1): 54-61.Summary: A study was done to determine the carotene content of seven different leafy vegetables. It was done to calculate the contribution of one traditionally cooked portion of the recommended daily allowance of of retinol.

Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules in the U.S. (FNWD). 2004. Alternanthera sessilisSummary: This website is used for the responsible identification of plant pests. It discusses the sperad of dissemenules throughout the U.S. And how they can potentially become invasive in the United States and throughout the world. Available from: http://www.lucidcentral.org/keys/FNW/FNW%20seeds/html/fact%20sheets/Alternanthera%20sessilis.htm [Accessed February 27, 2007]

Flora of the Marquesas. Undated. Alternanthera sessilis. Summary: This website gives a full description of A. sessilis on the Marquesas Islands. Available from: http://ravenel.si.edu/botany/pacificislandbiodiversity/marquesasflora/speciesdescr.cfm?genus=Alternanthera&specificepithet=sessilis&rank=&epithet1= [Accessed February 27, 2007]

Geng, Y. X., Pan, C. Xu, W. Zhang, B. Li, J. Chen. 2006. Phenotypic plasticity of invasive Alternanthera philoxeroides in relation to different water availability, compared to its native congener. ACTA OECOLOGICA. 30: 380-385.Summary: This article shows how Alternanthera philoxeroides and Alternanthera sessilis have different water needs and will often be found in different areas and in different size populations according to water availability.

Upreti, B.R., Y.G. Upreti. 2002. Factors leading to agro-biodiversity loss in developing countries: the case of Nepal. Biodiversity and Conservation. 11: 1607-1621.Summary: This article is concerned with factors contributing to agro-biodiversity loss in Nepal. The aim of this paper is to analyse the causes of agro-biodiversity loss and draw out some concrete recommendations.

Wiser, S.K., D.R. Drake, L.E. Burrows, W.R. Sykes. 2002. The potential for long-term persistence of forest fragments on Tongatapu, a large island in western Polynesia. Journal of Biogeography. 29: 767-787.Summary: This article discusses compositional variation of forest fragments and two factors that directly influence the potential for long-term persistence of these fragments � tree regeneration and alien invasion.